Albion hockey gets back on the ice

Albion College has not put a hockey team out on the ice since the mid-2000’s, but it seems that will be changing in the not so distant future.

Ross Muniga, Grosse Pointe junior and president of the Albion Hockey Club, took over as head of the organization last December, and since has been making small steps to get the club where it is today.

“I started slowly trying to build up the organization by getting jerseys and more ice time,” Muniga said. “The biggest goal was to join a league.”

Starting last semester and carrying his effort through this semester, Muniga was able to organize a group of 16 students and register them for a men’s league in Jackson earlier this fall. Unfortunately, the league fell through.

“There weren’t enough teams,” Muniga said. “It was going to be a six team league, and a team dropped out.”

While Muniga’s first attempt at joining a league was unsuccessful, he believes this is just the beginning of what could be a very prosperous club.

“It’s beneficial [for Albion] knowing that there are kids who can come here with hockey as a selling point,” Muniga said. “If I can add hockey to the list of available sports for students, it’s a great way to increase enrollment and student activities.”

It seems the difficult task of finding enough players to fill a roster is in the past, and the club hopes to have the team in a league by this spring.

Nick Mercado, Jenison sophomore, played in a men’s league with Muniga last spring and is eager to get back out on the ice next semester. The club’s ability to operate at no cost to players sold Mercado.

“What excites me most about hockey club is being able to get out on the ice and skate for free,” Mercado said. “Hockey is such an expensive sport and being able to play for absolutely free is really exciting.”

Open skates for the club begin Monday, Sept. 30 at 9 pm and continue every Monday for the rest of the semester.

The club is actively looking for added depth on their roster. Interested students contact Ross Muniga at RWM11@albion.edu.

Kurt Miller is a senior from Ann Arbor, Michigan majoring in Mass Media Communications and Economics and Management. He's passionate about all things sports and was a member of Albion's men's soccer team for four years. Follow him on Twitter @ShirtMiller.